Pop Culture & Favorite Characters

*products were received to facilitate a feature, all opinions are my own.

Got a fan of Stranger Things in your household? We wanted to create some ambience when we hosted our viewing party last month, so lighting these hand-poured soy candles were perfect. Scents in Eleven (sweet-smelling, like syrup and waffles–get it because she loves Eggos), Demogorgan (dragon’s blood incense), and Upside Down (mint, licorice, and moss) were freakishly accurate. When burning the Upside Down, we were amazed that shop owner could create such a unique smell that totally captured what our imaginations envisioned it to be. I’m not sure how, but she really managed to create smells that took me back to my childhood, via Stranger Things. They are awesome and so impressive! I’d love to smell her Harry Potter themed ones. I highly recommend purchasing your own candles from Etsy Shop GeekNest .

Look how great this hat is from SweetGyrlDesigns. My son is a huge Dustin fan and naturally decided to be him for Halloween. This was the perfect addition to his costume at Halloween, but just fun to wear in general. I love the awesome pins, also available on her Etsy shop, that reference the show. Working with Anne from the shop was an absolute pleasure and the products we received were very high quality.

We’ve been to Universal Orlando Resorts several times during the holiday season over the years. It’s one of our favorite family traditions. I bet you can’t imagine what we like to see while we are there. Ok, I’ll tell you. We love going to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. While we are there, we love to pick out some magical wands. We’ve collected quite an assortment over the years. But where do you store them when you get home? They are somewhat fragile, so you can’t just leave them around to get broken. Plus, it’s fun to display them in your room. That’s why I adore this awesome Etsy shop, FanAtticAlley (located just off of Diagon Alley!). They create custom-made wand displays for Harry Potter fans all over the world. What you get is a high quality display piece made of cedar, hemlock, or douglas fir, finished to accentuate the grain and decked out in a variety of Harry Potter themed images. Each piece is as unique as the fan it belongs to. You will love working with this fantastic retailer! Be sure to check out their site, as November holds some special pre-Christmas sale prices!

If you like to stay snuggly warm and you love pop culture, check out the Northwest! Known for all their sports accessories like bedding, backpacks and just about anything else you can can put a logo on, the Northwest also has a great selection of gear adorned with popular characters ranging from Disney to Star Wars Seriously, if you are a fan of something, check out their site, they are bound to have it. Which makes it an AWESOME choice for one-stop shopping. I can pick up items for my college basketball fan as well as my Iron Man fanatic. And for the Harry Potter one’s too, of course. We love this super soft Fantastic Beasts throw for watching the movies and keeping warm and toasty, especially in cold winter months. It is so comfortable and quite large and makes a great gift!

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire and all that jazz will have us wanting a cup of hot chocolate to keep us warm and cozy this holiday season. Tervis has us covered for that! Check out these awesome mugs! You know I’m a Hogwarts fan and if there is a Harry Potter themed anything, I want it. I love this sturdy, insulated Harry Potter Tervis mug adorned with my favorite crest. This mug is large, allowing for a generous cup of your favorite drink (hot butter beer, anyone?). You can purchase accessories like lids and straws separately. Not only do they have Harry Potter themed mugs, but your favorite sports teams like this NHL Toronto Maple Leafs one, Disney favorites, college alma mater, you name it, they’ve got it! I love Tervis products and know you will, too!

For the holidays, Hallmark is great to visit. I love to give personalized Christmas ornaments for my kids to remember something they really liked that year. That way, when we look back on our Christmas tree, we can easily spot things that spark memories of our children as they have grown. It’s a really fun way to make our tree personalized. No matter what your interests are, Hallmark is bound to have something to represent them. Favorite characters, sports teams, movies and more all have ornaments at Hallmark! I love the Harry Potter ornaments(always!). This year, Hallmark is offering some really cool Harry Potter ornaments that we love, such as the Gringotts Wizarding Bank ornament. This one allows for your Christmas light string to fit inside, illuminating the entire ornament, which makes for a magical effect.

Another thing we love to get at Hallmark are the adorable Itty Bittys. These little guys from Hallmark are absolutely adorable! We love all the different kinds they have. This year there are some super cute Peanuts characters to be had. Who doesn’t automatically get excited for Charlie Brown’s Christmas as soon as Thanksgiving has come and gone? I know I do–it’s what I grew up with!

My favorite itty bitty’s are Tim Burton inspired characters, though. Don’t you just love Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas? I think these would be great for any fan’s stocking this year.

Who doesn’t love Super Mario Bros? Sometimes, though, it’s fun to take them off the screen and into the real world. Kids will love the new adventures with the characters in both the Super Mario Bros Power Up Card Game and Super Mario Level Up Board Gamefrom USAopoly. Two totally different games will have your kids excited to be racing for coins through the Mushroom Kingdom.